


Stage: Set

by tighthae



Series: The Idol Program [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Idols, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-10-26 20:19:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10794054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tighthae/pseuds/tighthae
Summary: When Dongyoung entered the University he was currently attending, he never once thought he would be adopting a stage name. Becoming a school idol wasn't on his agenda either.





	Stage: Set

**Author's Note:**

> ive been playing a lot of idol games recently and then this idea just came to my head and i was like wow i need to write this. big thanks to [hellavenus](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hellavenus/pseuds/hellavenus) for editing this because without them i wouldve just posted this and hoped the mistakes werent noticeable! (Dedicated to oomf u know who u are...)

When Dongyoung first read the brochure to this accursed Univeristy, he never saw anything about this place having an “Idol Program” (which makes sense, considering the program isn’t even official). It’s not really out of place , since this is a university for the arts, but it still came as a surprise to him.

His roommate, Johnny, had said the “Idol Program” was only about ten years old. Apparently, the school’s most popular radio host had started the trend of creating idols within the university. His name was Heechul, and a girl named Tiffany asked if she could play one of her own songs on the broadcast. Heechul complied, and Tiffany gained some serious popularity on campus. She had started becoming a celebrity within the school and by association, Heechul’s radio show got ten times more popular. Heechul’s rivals started to lose their fanbases because of Tiffany’s appearances on Heechul’s show. The host of the second most popular radio show, Hongki, then created his own idol. The girl he recruited to sing was named Jessica and she became just as popular as Tiffany in just as short amount of time. Tiffany and Jessica’s rivalry became a campus phenomenon. The two garnered their very own fanbase and haters alike while Heechul and Hongki’s radio shows capitalized off of every aspect of it. Thus, the school’s Idol Program began.

Before the Idol Program kicked off, and because of the University’s restrictions, there were only about three radio shows. After the idol program, there were more than 30 radio stations, each host with his or her unique idol; some radio hosts took it further and formed groups of university students instead of solo artists. The school even found a way to profit off of school idols. Nowadays, as long as you can fund it, the university will let you build your own radio booth in an empty facility. The university also realized that school idols boosted the morale on campus. In other words, the Idol Program is here to stay.

As the University began to grow in popularity, the school board began to expand. These expansions allowed spaces for more radio shows to be broadcasted as more booths were built on behalf of the university, and not just a rich student. In the present day, there are over 100 radio shows around the campus and the same amount of school idols to match. This is only Dongyoung’s first year here, but he already knew that he was in for a wild ride.

❂

“I'm not really into all that idol stuff.” Dongyoung said. Everyone at the circular table looked at him. For a moment, the only thing that was audible was the material of the umbrella above rustling in the breeze. “It seems kind of pointless if I’m being honest. Yea, you're famous for however long you're here and whatever, but what happens when you graduate? The Idol Program isn't that known outside of school so it’s not like you'll get scouted by some big agency or something.” Dongyong purposely started playing with his salad to avoid everyone’s gaze.

“God, you're such a lame ass.” Dongyoung looked up to see Donghyuck rolling his eyes. “The point is to have fun! You ever heard of that? Have you ever experienced that? Who gives a damn if it doesn't contribute to the future, people stress about the future so much they forget about the present. That's exactly why people like the Idol Program so much, it takes their mind off whatever the fuck is bothering them and gets them to channel their focus on one thing.”

“I'm not saying people can't enjoy it! I'm saying you'd never catch me enjoying it or being a school idol.” Dongyoung replied, pretending the cherry tomato inside his salad was more interesting than the current topic.

“So you're in a performance school, specifically majoring in whatever music major you're majoring in, but don't want to perform?” Mark asked, butting into the conversation.

“I never said I didn't want to perform. I want something more contemporary, I guess. Remember the good ole’ days when people performed live in talent shows and what not? You know, the things that most every other university in the nation hold except this one. Something like that. Not some overly commercialized crap like this.”

“Guys, leave him alone,” Eun said.

“Thank you-”

“If he wants to spend the rest of his university life as an uptight grandpa then that's on him.” 

Dongyoung frowned. It seemed to him that he was the only person at the school who wasn't interested in school idols. Even the teachers were into it! He didn't know why people get all defensive over stuff like this; it's not like he's completely trashing school idols. Sure, half of them have inflated egos from their popularity, but fortunately for Dongyoung, he hadn’t crossed paths with anyone like that. 

“Anyway,” Eun continued, breaking Dongyoung out of his internal soliloquy. “Have you guys heard JOAT’s new song? It's so good. They're performing live next week.”

Mark covered his ears. “I haven't! No spoilers, please.”

“Is JOAT an acronym or something?” Dongyoung asked.

“I'm not interested in school idols.” Donghyuck mocked, taking Dongyoung’s uneaten salad and sliding it over to himself. 

“It stands for ‘Jack Of All Trades’. They're the most popular school idols right now, even though two out of the four members are sophomores.” Eun said.

“Are they that good?”

“Check their SoundCloud and see for yourself.”

“Or, you could come with us next week to see them live,” Mark added. “I’m sure they'll be the first school idols you'll fall for. Taeyong looks like your type.”

“Sh!” Dongyoung quickly reached over the table to try to silence Mark. 

“Oh come on, this is your second year in college and you're still in the closet?” Mark asked.

“A glass one.” Donghyuck mumbled, accompanied by Eun’s snickering. 

“It's not like anyone cares, dude. There's plenty of gay people on campus. Even a JOAT member is gay! So if you want to step out of it now’s the time.” Mark’s little speech cheered up Dongyoung, but he still didn't feel comfortable with being openly gay, at least not yet. If his parents found out he was sure they'd disown him or something equally as bad.

“As long as you chose a good looking outfit I'm sure everyone will welcome your new found lease on life with open arms.” Donghyuck replied.

“Why are we talking about my sexuality? I thought we were talking about goat.”

“JOAT.” The trio corrected him in unison. 

“Whatever, what day are they performing?”

“Next week, on Friday.” Eun replied quickly. “Are you coming with us?”

“I have nothing else to do, and Johnny is bringing someone over that night so I might as well go out with you guys.”

“Johnny tells you a week in advance when he's going to bring someone over?” Mark asked.

“It helps me avoid walking in.” 

“Dongyoung is gonna look out of place with us. He doesn't even have a JOAT shirt or lightstick.” Donghyuck said. 

“You're joking, right? They actually sell and distribute fan merchandise? Right here? On the campus?” He knew the Idol business here was popular, but not that popular. 

“Yes!” Donghyuck said, with what Dongyoung thought was pride laced in his voice. “How do you think the idols make money? Did you think they do what they do for free?”

“Yes… I did.” 

“Well, you were wrong.” Donghyuck stuck his tongue out at Dongyoung. Dongyoung was tempted to grab it and rip it out.

“Oh, shit!” Eun threw her bag on the table and began to pat it down. “Sunshine FM is hosting an interview with JOAT right now and I forgot! I'm such a bad stan.”

“Stan? Is that the host?” Dongyoung asked, and Eun snorted.

“It's a term for someone who’s a fan of something.” Mark explained. “Are you gonna stay with us to listen to the broadcast or do you need to study something.”

“Again, I've got nothing better to do. I guess I'll stay and see what the hype is all about.” Dongyoung also wanted to see if this Taeyong guy was as a good looking as Mark had implied.

After a frantic search, Eun finally found her phone. Apparently, the school had its own radio broadcasting app. Eun had explained that Sunshine FM was the most popular station right now because they were the creators of JOAT. It wasn’t hard for Eun to find the station, since it was on the app’s homepage. Eun’s phone froze, and Dongyong was worried she was going to break as she went into panic mode, slapping the phone with as much force as a sledgehammer, just at five times the speed. 

Eun’s phone unfroze and the broadcast started. “-and I’m Taeyong.” Dongyoung’s first thought was that the boy even sounded cute.

“So, instead of me giving you boring questions from a script, the fans will be asking you questions today!” The host exclaimed. “Tweet your questions with the hashtag ‘ask JOAT’. We’ll give you five minutes!”

Donghyuck and Mark both pulled their phones out and opened Twitter to send in a question, and the radio app would play in the background so Eun was preparing her questions too. Dongyoung logged into twitter as well; he just wanted to see what kind of questions were being asked. Not look at pictures of Taeyong or anything like that.

it-girl eun @kosilver  
whats winwin’s favorite thing to do in his spare time #AskJOAT  
|  
markeu @chwingum  
replying to @kosilver  
how does winwin feel abt creepy stalkers like this one? #AskJOAT  
|  
donghYUCK @hyuckjackson  
replying to @kosilver and @chwingum  
winwin pls ban that girl from ur concert next week I heard she planning to steal ur underwear #AskJOAT

ms mimi @qu9udan  
WHO TOPS???????? TAEYONG OR WINWIN? ANSWER NOW OR YOU HATE WOMEN #AskJOAT

Chanmi @chanmititi  
do u guys want/plan on collabing wit other school idols? #AskJOAT  
|  
maeng @minaringg  
replying to @yoonaria  
shes just looking for a free ride dont trust her #AskJOAT (does ten like pineapples on pizza)

That was enough Twitter for Dongyoung today, he thought, closing the app. Dongyoung didn’t go on Twitter often enough apparently because about a third of his friends are JOAT fans. It must have been luck that out of the 34,000 students on campus, he had never once encountered a JOAT fan until that day. 

“At taeyongscum asked,” The host began, trying not to laugh. “Is Jaehyun a top, bottom, or a switch? Well, Jaehyun, will you give us the answer?”

The guy named Jaehyun laughed softly. “I'd like to have my lawyer present.” Everyone in the radio studio laughed at the clearly failed attempt at humor. Dongyoung wasn't sure why his friends were pretending it was funny.

The interview dragged on for what seemed like forever. Dongyoung wasn't sure what everyone saw in these boys. Their music must be really good for them to have garnered such a fanbase, because their personalities didn’t seem to be that interesting. The Ten guy seemed, at the most, a little humorous. 

“So what did you think?” Donghyuck asked. “I'm sure you love them now. Everyone seems to pick them up after watching an interview.”

“I hope their music is good,” Dongyoung said, letting the implications of the statement sink in. 

“You're just bitter.” Eun spat.

“I thought they were pretty funny,” Mark added.

“They seem- Hmm, they seem nice.” 

“When you get home, go listen to their music. Everyone loves their music.” Eun reassured.

❂

Dongyoung did not listen to their music when he got home. He worked on a bit of music composition and production, made a sandwich, then took his laundry basket to the common room since the laundromat was never full on a Friday night. He separated the whites with the colored pieces of clothes and hummed his favorite song. The hum of the dryer and the swish of the washing machine filled the small space and Dongyoung couldn't help but relax. Seeing that no one was here, he began to sing his favorite song, Wallpaper Patterns, by one of his favorite artists. 

Dongyoung didn't know how long he was singing; he had gone through the whole album by the time he had gotten the most of his laundry done. 

“Woah, Dongyoung!” It was Mark’s familiarly friendly voice. “Didn't know you could sing like that.” 

“What are you doing here!” Dongyoung asked, startled by the sudden appearance of a voice. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“Lost a bet with Eun and Hyein. I have to do theirs and Hina’s laundry. This adds to the amount of laundry I have to do since I lost a bet with Donghyuck a week ago and my punishment was doing laundry for a week.” 

“So, you heard… all of that?” Dongyoung asked, ignoring Mark’s anecdote.

“Yes, I did! Don't be embarrassed though, you're a great singer. You can definitely become a school idol with those vocals. You're not even ugly either, you'd be as big as JOAT!”

“I already said I'm not interested in being an idol, but thank you for the compliment.”

“You'll change your mind, everyone does.”

“Thank you, Crypt Creeper, but I'm sure I’ll stay where I stand.”

“That's what they all say.” Mark chimed.

Mark and Dongyoung made idle conversation as Mark finished the monstrous amount of clothes he washed while Dongyoung washed the towels he and Johnny had used over the week. Mark also gave the duty of washing the girl’s undergarments to Dongyoung. Dongyoung had started his laundry at five o’clock, and by the time him and Mark were finished, it was an hour before midnight. Sighing, Dongyoung stretched as he gathered his empty baskets and stacked them within each other like a Russian doll. 

Before he could take his leave, Mark took his wrist and pulled him back. “Dude,” He gasped. Dongyoung wasn't looking at what Mark was staring at; he was staring at the hand that had so abruptly pulled him back. “I love you guys, oh my god.”

Dongyoung looked up to see four very good looking boys, standing in the entrance of the small laundromat. Judging by Mark’s reaction, Dongyoung guessed these pretty boys were JOAT.

“Always pleased to meet a fan.” One of them smiled. Dongyoung hoped it was Taeyong. “Are you a fan too?” He asked Dongyoung.

“Uh, no,” Dongyoung replied. “I hadn't even heard of you guys until today, thanks to Mark here.” Dongyoung patted Mark on the shoulder. “He’s your biggest fan, this is coming from one his best friends.”

“Biggest fan, huh?” One of them laughed. 

“Yep,” Mark smiled, proudly. “But can I get three autographs? Two of my friends are really big fans too and they'll owe me a ton if I get an autograph on their shirts.” Mark dropped the two laundry baskets he was holding and dug for his and Donghyuck’s shirts. He left them on the floor as he went to the four other baskets sitting unoccupied by an empty laundry machine and grabbed Eun’s shirt from the top pile. Mark made haste to the four idols and held out the articles of clothing for a signature. “Please?” He added. 

The four boys complied and signed the shirts, while Dongyoung stood awkwardly. It was unfortunate that they were blocking the only exit. He could go through the window, but Dongyoung wasn't really one for dramatic exits. He could take the rude way out and push through the barricade, but Dongyoung didn't want to leave too bad of an impression, either. Not yet at least.

“So, you're not a fan?” Dongyoung was snapped out of his thoughts by, hopefully, Taeyong’s voice. “That's a rare sight.”

“Not really into the Idol scene. You're blocking the exit, by the way.” The four boys looked a bit surprised but shuffled to the right and the left to get out of the way. 

“Sorry about tha-” Dongyoung was already half out of the laundromat when, Hopefully Taeyong stopped him. “Just give this a listen.” Hopefully Taeyong dropped a CD, yes, a CD, into Dongyoung’s clean basket of clothes. 

“A CD?”

“Listen, we’re college kids. We can't put stuff on iTunes without a label.”

“How much do you want?”

“It's free unless you become a fan.” He smiled.

“I guess it's free then. Come on, Mark. The sooner we get to Eun the less you'll get yelled at for taking four hours to do laundry.”

❂

Before going to bed, Dongyoung decided to scroll through his twitter feed. More specifically going through tweets with the name Taeyong in them.

dinosaur @jongofday  
wish I could rap as good as taeyong

history major @jiminiels  
when will taeyong collab with me tho  
|  
maeng @minaringg  
replying to @jiminiels  
when hell freezes over u dog

markeu @chwingum  
eun and donghyuck owe me one btw everyone screenshot this  
|  
power dance @seulllllllgi  
replying to @chwingum  
can I touch jaehyun’s handwriting I’ll pay u good money  
|  
markeu @chwingum  
replying to @seulllllllgi  
u need to seek help...

Dongyoung laughed at everyone’s dumb tweets, glad that he wasn’t like them. With his heart in his stomach, (why his heart is there Dongyoung doesn’t know) Dongyoung starts to look at the pictures tagged with Taeyong. To his surprise, the man in the tag wasn’t Hopefully Taeyong. This was just Dongyoung’s luck. The guy did have soft facial features like mystery man, but none of them captured Dongyoung’s attention. Sighing, Dongyoung closed twitter and decided to sleep. Yes, he could’ve just individually searched for all the members names until a face matched, but he had an exhausting day and was ready to do absolutely nothing tomorrow morning. 

❂

“A competition?” Dongyoung asked. Dongyoung wasn’t expecting for Mark to start a commotion on a Sunday afternoon. The man was sitting with his usual friends at lunch, with the addition of Yuta, who claimed he had nothing better to. “What kind of competition?”

“Just a competition among friends, duh. We all have tests coming up, right?” Mark looked around the table for an answer. “I’ll take the silence as a yes. So, I was thinking, whoever gets the highest score on their test gets to be ruler. Rulers get one favor from everyone and it’s redeemable at any time. Those are my rules.”

“I’m in.” Eun said. 

“I’ll just claim my favors now since I’m winning. Mark, go get me a soda.” Donghyuck said.

“Even though this isn’t my regular circle, I’m in.”

“So, it all goes back to Dongyoung. You joining in?’ Mark asked. 

Dongyoung shrugged. “Ah, what the hell. I’ve been getting tired of doing laundry anyway.” 

“No backsy!” Mark exclaimed.

“Yea, yea, whatever. You guys should get studying. I know your grades aren’t that good in the first place.”

❂

“You gonna listen to this?” Johnny asked, picking up Dongyoung’s copy of JOAT’s CD.

“No, you can throw it out.” Dongyoung replied. He didn't bother to look up, he knew what Johnny was referring to.

“You're not gonna look at what I'm holding?”

“I know what it is.”

“I thought you said you weren't into school idols.”

“I'm not.”

“Then why did you have a copy-”

“Jaehyun gave it to me.” Dongyoung had been doing his research these past few days. It wasn't really research though; their names happened to be on CD’s jacket with the text being right next to their faces. Dongyoung just hadn't bothered to look. Apparently who he thought Taeyong was wasn't even Taeyong. 

“You know his name?”

“Their names are on the cover of the CD.”

“But you remembered his face.”

“Don't you have somewhere to be at this hour?” Dongyoung closed his textbook to face Johnny. “You're usually out and about everyday. Why are you here today? I'm trying to study.”

“I don't have class today and my date cancelled.”

“How do you get so many dates when you look like that?”

“The same reason you don't get any.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Whatever, someone's coming over tomorrow. You know the drill.”

“I'm already going out with friends.”

“Yea right, you're just gonna be studying again. I know, you don't have to lie.”

“Eun, Donghyuck, Mark, and I are going to see a concert or whatever.”

“Who are you seeing.”

“A band.”

“Is it JOAT?”

“No.”

“Liar.”

“I'm gonna go to the library,” Dongyoung said, packing up his stuff. “I'm sure if you look down the hall you'll find someone to shack up with it.”

“Don't be mad because you like an idol group. That's all on you, not me.”

“I can't hear you!” Dongyoung shouted as he exited their dorm room. The plan for tomorrow was to take his tests and meet up with his friends, which would lead them to the concert. A festival was held the last Friday of every month, where school idols could showcase their skills and hopefully get more fans. Of course, not every idol in the school performed; the festival only allowed about 30 idols per show so it wouldn't exceed an hour and a half. Stuck in his thoughts, Dongyoung’s trip to the library was shorter than he thought. Walking into the library, Dongyoung let out a sigh of relief when he realized it was almost empty. It was a Thursday evening, so not many people were studying. Dongyoung prefered it this way; less distractions meant easier study time.

Taking a seat, Dongyoung opened his textbook and began studying the material inside. He wasn't sure how much time had passed but the few people that were there before had already left. More time had passed when he heard a chair scrape on the wooden flooring. 

“Hey again, non-fan.” A familiar voice spoke. 

Dongyoung knew who it was so he didn't bother to look up from the one textbook he had being looking at for hours. “Hey.”

“Did you listen to our music?”

“No, my roommate threw out the CD before I got the chance to.”

“Were you planning on listening to it?”

“I would be lying if I said yes.”

“That breaks my heart.” From the corner of his eye, Dongyoung saw Jaehyun grab at his heart dramatically. 

“Are you here to study or chat?” Dongyoung asked.

“Both.”

“I don't see your book open”

“You're not even looking up.” Jaehyun said, and Dongyoung glanced up at him, before looking back down at his book.

“I have good vision.”

“I don't doubt you,” Jaehyun said. “You coming to the festival tomorrow?” He asked, changing the subject. 

“Kind of being forced to.” Dongyoung said. “So, if you see me in the crowd, don't think it was me bringing myself willingly.”

“You said you're not into idol stuff, right? Why is that?” Jaehyun asked.

Dongyoung rolled his eyes; he wasn't even reading his textbook anymore. “Commercialized nonsense, I want no part of it. If people enjoy it, that's fine by me. I won't be one of those people.” 

“What are you studying?”

“Music theory, the boring stuff, it's only the beginning of the year.”

Jaehyun grinned. “Hey, me too! Let's get studying, shall we?”

❂

“This is rigged…” Dongyoung said. The quartet were looking at the test scores that were posted online. Mark placed last with a score of 54, Eun was third with a score of 90, Dongyoung second with a score of 97, and Donghyuck first with a perfect score of 100 points.

“Of course it is, I cheated.” 

“That isn't fair.” Eun said, unsurprised that Donghyuck bent the nonexistent rules.

“Hey, there were no rules. You can't blame me for taking advantage of the situation. Now you’re all my servants!”

“The concert is starting soon.” Eun said, ignoring Donghyuck’s demand. “We have to go now if we're going to get good a good spot.”

“Mark has to pay for my entrance,” Donghyuck said. “That'll be my first favor. Eun, you're buying me snacks. “Dongyoung,” Donghyuck put his index finger to his chin. “I don't have anything for you to do at the moment. Just sit tight for now.”

“Whatever,” Dongyoung mumbled. “I hope these JOAT guys don't let me down.”

“You haven't even listened to their music?” Mark asked. “Even though they gave you a CD? A free CD? You're really ungrateful, man.” The quartet were now making their way to the theatre.

“Wait, they gave you a CD? And you didn't give it to me? You can stay home, we don't need you coming to JOAT’s concert.” Eun said.

“Okay, you can have the CD, Johnny said he was going to throw it away but he's fucking lazy so I doubt he even mustered up the strength to do that simple task. Also, why do you keep calling it ‘JOAT’s concert’, other school idols are performing there.”

“Jimin is gonna be rapping her new single. I'm excited for that.” Mark said, defending himself. “And then Sejeong will be performing.”

“It'll be a snoozer ballad.” Donghyuck spat.

“Arit will be performing there too.” Eun said.

“Who's Arit?” Dongyoung asked.

“Seolhyun and Chanmi. They combined the last few letters of the twitter ats together to make a name. Seolhyunari and chanmitt. It's pretty clever, it sounds like they're saying art.”

“I got what they were going for,” Dongyoung replied. “How long will this last?”

“It's not like it matters, you'll be out of your dorm if you come and Johnny still has his guest inside,” Eun said. “What snacks do you want, Donghyuck?”

“I'll decide when we get there.”

“You guys aren't even wearing your JOAT shirts.” Dongyoung commented. “You were making a big deal about it over Twitter. Today's the only day you can wear them without looking like complete idiots.”

“Where's your Jaehyun shirt?” Mark asked.

“My what?” 

“Your Jaehyun shirt,” Eun repeated. “Someone saw you two in the library, they posted it on Twitter. Every Jaehyun stan wants you dead now. Which is weird because they're usually the softer stans.”

“I didn't understand half of that sentence.” Dongyoung replied flatly. “We both had to study the same thing, so we did that. Do they think I want to date him or something?”

“Everyone with a brain wants to date Jung Yoonoh, more popularly known as Jaehyun, so it's safe to admit that you might want to as well.”

“This is stupid. Am I gonna need a PR team?”

“We’re your PR team!” Mark exclaimed. “If anyone tries to assassinate you then we’ll do our best to clean up the mess when it's all over.”

“Thanks, I guess.” Dongyoung wasn't sure how he should feel about that statement, but he was glad to have friends who lifted up the mood. 

“Oh my god, the line!” Eun groaned. Apparently the group hadn’t arrived to their destination early enough. The line had almost surpassed the length of the theatre, which was already sizeable to begin with. “We’ll be waiting here for at least an hour; we’ll miss the first half of the concert.”

“Not if we complain like that.” Donghyuck said. “I have an idea, just follow my lead.” Donghyuck didn't wait for a response, at began leading the way. Dongyoung was surprised that the boy had already formulated a plan; Donghyuck wasn’t known for his quick wit.

Where the line almost ended there was a sign that read “Idol Entrance Only” which lead into the side entrance of the theatre. Of course, Donghyuck ignored the sign and its content and continued down the alleyway. At the very end stood a heavy looking brown door and a menacing security guard to go along with it. Clearing his throat, Donghyuck made his way to the door and its Cerberus with false bravado, and the remaining trio followed along with uneasy steps. 

“Who are you four?” The guard asked.

“Why, we’re up and coming radio hosts!” Donghyuck replied, with a little too much enthusiasm. “With our own idol and everything.”

“Which is which?”

“Well I'm a host, that lady over there is a host, and that young man right there is also a host.” Donghyuck gestured to the indicated people, but not to Dongyoung. “And that man right there is our idol! Now that that's all cleared up, I'm sure you'll let us in.”

The guard looked at what was presumably a list of the idols that were booked for the event that was on his clipboard. “What's your station’s name?”

“Uh,” Donghyuck was taken aback by the question, obviously not expecting to get very far. “NCT Radio!”

“What does that stand for?”

“Well the N comes from her name, Koeun, the C is for me Haechan, and the T is for him.” Donghyuck pointed at Mark.

“What's his name?”

“Tark.”

“Strange name.”

“I'm sure you've heard worse stage names.” Donghyuck said.

The guard nodded in agreement. “What's the idol’s name?”

“Doyoung.”

“Well, usually, I wouldn't let you in because you aren't on the list but you're in luck. The 99th act called in sick and we were about to scout our waiting list for a replacement, but you will do.” The security guard opened the door and signaled for the quartet to enter whilst making a call on his Bluetooth earpiece. Dongyoung noticed that the hall was a ramp that kept sinking. “All the way down this hall, then take a right. You'll see a waiting room for idols and their staff, that's where you'll stay.”

Without another word, the group went through the exit and didn't look back. 

“I can't believe you got away with that!” Eun said. “You thought of those stage names super fast.”

Donghyuk shrugged. “I have a talent for lying, what can I say.” 

“Really, dude. Tark? Why couldn't it have been NCM? NCK? NCA? NCR? You know, anything with a letter that my name has in it.” Mark complained. 

“I was under pressure and NCT were the first three letters that popped into my head. It's not like we’re an actual radio show anyway.”

“Am I actually going to have to perform?” Dongyoung asked nervously. 

“Well, do you know of a way that can take us to the front?” Donghyuck asked.

“No.” Dongyoung frowned.

“That means I don't have to buy snacks at least.” Eun said, grinning.

“And I don't have to pay for a ticket!” Mark said brightly.

“But that means you all owe me favors since these ones didn't go through.” Donghyuck shot them a mischievous grin. “With an inclusion of an extra favor for getting you guys in.”

“Whatever, just get inside.” Eun demanded, swinging the door to the waiting room open. The waiting room was another narrow hallway, but with much better lighting and a lot more people. Dongyoung couldn't see the end of the hallway; it had to be long enough to be able to host over a hundred people, but he assumed it was a staircase leading backstage.

“Where do we sit?” Eun asked.

“I'm assuming at the pair of seats with the 99 sign over it. He did say it was the 99th act that called in sick.” Unfortunately for Dongyoung, 99 was right next to 100. Of course, JOAT were all sitting pretty at 100. The festival obviously saved the best for last. 

“Well, well, look who it is,” Jaehyun said, playfully. “I thought you weren't interested in being an idol.”

“I'm not. We just snuck in through the back door and the guy directed us here.”

“And you're staying back here?”

“It's not like we have much of a choice.” Dongyoung looked down the crowded hallway. Going down that way would mean stumbling over everyone’s feet and sliding passed them awkwardly.

“You'll miss the whole concert.”

“Those three idiots only came to see you guys perform, it's not a big loss.” Dongyoung said.

“Well, since we’re now in the same industry-” Jaehyun began, before Dongyoung cut him off.

“I'm not an idol. We had to lie to get in here, and once we get backstage we’ll just make our way to the crowd and wait for the people to realize that there is no 99th act, and then you four will go up and we’ll all go home.”

“Mhm. Anyways,” Jaehyun said, changing the subject. “This is Ten, that's Taeyong, and he's Winwin.” Jaehyun gestured to each of them. “This is Dongyoung.”

They all said hi and Dongyoung did in return to be polite. 

“So, you guys snuck in? That'll make a good radio story.” Ten said.

“We don't even have a studio.” Donghyuck replied, “Don't get your hopes up.”

The group of eight passed their time with idle chatter as the amount of people in the waiting room slowly dwindled until the group could hear the echo of their own conversation. Everyone was now spaced out, chatting about their nervousness. Dongyoung found out that Ten was one of the funniest people on campus and Taeyong wasn't as intimidating as he looked. Winwin didn't talk much and Jaehyun liked to tease everyone he came in contact with. The hall was now just them, so they decided to make their way to the very front. The music had stopped for the 98th act and the audience erupted in cheers. The quarter bid their goodbyes to the other party and made their way up the stairwell where they were stopped by another security guard.

“NCT Radio? With Doyoung, correct?”

Donghyuck wasn't sure how to respond; they obviously should've expected some kind of security escorting people onto the stage. He could've said no, but if he knew their faces then there would be no use in lying. None of them wanted to get sent to the dean’s office for sneaking into an event. Dumbstruck, the group couldn't say a word as Doyoung was brought to the front of the stage while the other three were guided down to the exclusive front row seats made for the hosts and their idols.

Dongyoung didn't have enough time to react. Before he knew it he was standing in front of a mic which also happened to be in front of a sea of college students. Dongyoung never thought he had stage fright, but that was before he had stood in front of a whole crowd of students. The microphone was too high and he felt like he was sweating, and he itched to scratch at his arms. Even though he considered himself a singer, he had never performed in front of anyone but family and friends, so he wasn't really sure what to do in this situation. Should he greet the crowd? Should he introduce himself? Was this awkward pause getting too long? 

Pushing all the negative thoughts out of his head, Dongyoung adjusted the mic. Taking a silent breath, he sung his favorite song. He wasn't sure if covers were allowed in the festivals, but he didn't really have any other material to go off of. Dongyoung wasn't sure of the audience’s perception of him; he had his eyes closed the entire time out of habit. There was no backtrack because he didn't even tell anyone what song he’d be singing. He hoped no one noticed his shaking voice, because to Dongyoung, it felt like an earthquake in his throat. 

The three minutes he stood on stage with his eyes shut tight were the longest three minutes of his life. When he was finished the audience exploded into applause. Dongyoung was sure he wasn't that good but he’d take that over thousands of people booing him off stage. 

“You're a new idol, correct?” Some announcer in a fancy red suit came from behind Dongyoung and made him jump. The audience began to laugh and Dongyoung just smiled awkwardly.

“I guess you could say that.” 

“You sound unsure.” The host said.

“I am unsure.”

“How so?”

“It's complicated.” Dongyoung replied, wanting this to end as quickly as possible.

“What's your name, kid? And what's your radio station’s name? I see you have a bright future as an idol ahead of you.” The host said, patting Dongyoung on the back.

“Uh, my name is Doyoung and I'm with NCT Radio.”

“Well, you heard if folks!” The announcer gestured to the crowd. “Look out for NCT Radio at- What's your time slot, kid?”

“Well, we just barely got access to a studio so we haven't had our first broadcast. Our um, first broadcast will be right after school next week, so please look out for it.” Dongyoung gave all this information too quickly for it to be believable. 

“Alright, kid.” The host gave him a pat on the back, practically pushing him to the steps off stage. “And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, give it up for your favorite school boy band, JOAT!” Dongyoung felt his eardrums burst as the crowd screamed at the top of their lungs.

“You did great!” Donghyuck exclaimed, pulling Dongyoung down into the seat next to him. “But what are we gonna do about the whole NCT Radio thing? We don't even have a studio!”

Dongyoung shrugged. “Well, we have until next Friday to find one.”

“I thought you weren't interested in becoming an idol?” Eun said. “Suddenly have a change of heart?”

“I promised everyone a broadcast so we’ll give them a broadcast. I'm sure I won't blow up in popularity so it'll just be a one time thing.” Dongyoung said, trying to convince himself and the others.

Eun gabe Dongyoung a disbelieving look. “Whatever you say.” 

The group remained silent as JOAT entered the stage and the assistants ran on to place the extra microphone stands. Dongyoung tried to listen to their greeting but the sounds of girls screaming profanities and obscene things drowned most of if out. Dongyoung decided to stare at Jaehyun the whole time and get a good look at his features. He started to admire the soft look that his face, just like he did in the laundromat and noticed that he looked more masculine on stage. Dongyoung guessed it was the scowl he had put on. Dongyoung didn't know how long he was staring, JOAT’s greeting seemed to be excessively long. He was brought out of his trance by Jaehyun meeting his gaze and blowing him a kiss. Embarrassed, Dongyoung tore his eyes away from him and decided to stare at Winwin instead. 

After a six minute greeting, a backtrack started playing and their performance had begun. Dongyoung was really immersed in the song, it was a generic pop song about loving a girl, but he was taken aback by their stage presence. Festivals had banned dancing and choreography because some people could do it and others could not, so it gave certain people advantages. The restriction didn't bother JOAT because they looked just as fierce standing still and singing. Maybe this was why they were so popular. Mesmerized, Dongyoung continued to stare until the performance was over. Dongyoung didn't remember what the song sounded like. Once again, the audience erupted into applause. Screaming and shouting filled the theatre as JOAT thanked them.

The announcer in the flashy red suit came out once again for a short interview. “How does it feel being the most popular idol in the university right now?”

“It feels surreal.” Taeyong said.

“Jaehyun,” The announcer seemed dissatisfied with such a short answer from Taeyong. “You were seen with someone at the library a few days ago. Rumors have been floating around. Would you like to address them?”

“We’re just friends,” Dongyoung doesn't know why Jaehyun was using the word friends so loosely. “He was the new idol that performed just before us. I hope you guys will give him a lot of love and support.” 

Dongyoung tuned out the rest of the interview, most of it was just addressing rumors and asking about ideal types. Dongyoung started thinking about how he and his friends would get out of the web they had spun for themselves. He should've told the truth when he was upstage. 

“Dongyoung,” Mark poked him. “Concert’s over. There's a small meet and greet but I'm sure you don't want to stay.” The four friends made their way out of the theatre, stepping out into the cool air of the night.

“Dongyoung,” Donghyuck spoke up. “There's a hashtag trending on Twitter. I think it's about you.”

minhyuk @rockyyyyyy  
who else ships jaehyun and the new guy? #whoishe

doyoungs #1 stan @doyoungluv  
I LOVE HIM ALREADY #WHOISHE

alcoholic @chaeyonce  
wtf how did he get popular so fast #whoishe

seaweed @xuanyisus  
he was talking too quick he probably a liar  
|  
the bully @bonana  
replying to @xuanyisus  
stfu bitch hes cute

“The public seems to love you.” Donghyuck said. “We could really pull this off!”

“Yeah, but how are we gonna get a radio station?” Mark asked.

“I don't know yet.” Dongyoung replied. “Let's sleep on it, we have a week afterall. There has to be an abandoned radio station on campus.”

❂

“It's a fixer-upper,” Dongyoung said. “But I'm sure we can get everything working in two days if we sacrifice our souls to the devil.”

The place was dusty and wires were strung everywhere. Dongyoung was sure he saw a rat scurry along and a cockroach come out from one of the walls. Dongyoung didn't expect anything less. Donghyuck and Mark had taken Dongyoung’s advice and scouted the campus for any abandoned stations. The duo came across someone packing up boxes. They asked what he was doing and he said he was moving everything out of his old studio. It had been the person’s before but he had since upgraded and was moving equipment. When asked why it was so rundown he answered that it was because he had taken a long break from being a host so he slowly let it decay. When they asked if they could have it the man answered yes with a smile.

“Do you guys even know how to do radio stuff?” Eun asked. “I think we've bitten of more than we can chew. We need to have Dongyoung record a song and also get our station registered on the app. Let's hope we can do this in two days.”

“How hard could it be?” Mark asked. 

Eun sighed. “Dongyoung, go ask Jaehyun for help.”

“Why me?” 

“He said the two of you were friends last Friday didn't he? I'm sure he’d be willing to help us go through with this.” Eun said.

“Can't we ask someone else?” Dongyoung whined.

Eun rolled her eyes. “You're close with him and also the only connection to the Idol life we have. It has to be you.” 

“We've only known each other for a month.” Dongyoung reasoned, but Eun shook her head.

“Go ask Jaehyun!” Donghyuck demanded. “You still owe me two favors and I'm using one of them right now.”

“Fine.” Dongyoung grumbled. He knew there would be no point in arguing with Donghyuck. “Where's their radio station?”

It turned out Sunshine FM was located on the other end of the campus. At least Dongyoung was getting a workout. Unsurprisingly, there were people posted outside Sunshine FM with posters and JOAT shirts, screaming their favorite member’s name through the glass. Dongyoung had gotten there just in time.

“This has been your host, Jinjin, and we’ll see you all tomorrow.” The host, Jinjin, took off his headphones and so did the rest of JOAT. A security guard opened the door to the studio and signaled for everyone to make way for the boys. 

Dongyoung didn’t know how to get Jaehyun’s attention through the hoard of fans trying to rip his clothes off. Standing on the tip of his toes he called his name out. Lucky for Dongyoung, Jaehyun had good hearing and perked up at the call of his name. Seeing that it was Dongyoung who called him, the ghost of a smile was worn on his lips. Jaehyun signaled for Dongyoung to wait at the end of the hall and Dongyoung complied.

“Hi.” Dongyoung said flatly. He felt the atmosphere slowly become awkward.

“Hey.”

“I need your help, Jaehyun.”

“You can call me Yoonoh.”

“Jaehyun.”

“Okay then.” Jaehyun said, amused. “What do you need help with?”

“You know all that technical stuff that goes along with having a radio show?” Jaehyun nodded. “Basically, all of that. Not me specifically, though. The other three idiots need help.” Dongyoung said.

“You guys got ahold of a radio station? That was quick. You could've asked me to help with that, too.” Jaehyun said.

“There's four of us and we have a lot of free time. I don't think an extra set of hands would've helped.” Dongyoung said, and felt himself getting annoyed by Jaehyun’s (Yoonoh’s?) amusement.

“Where's your station?” Yoonoh asked.

“On the other side of the campus.” Dongyoung said. “I hope you wore your walking shoes.”

“You look out of breath. You should stretch before you strain yourself.” Yoonoh said teasingly, and Dongyoung’s eyes narrowed.

“Shut up.”

The pair began making their way back to where Dongyoung’s base of operations was located. Dongyoung let the awkward silence between the two carry half way through the trek. 

“Did you like the performance?” Yoonoh asked.

“It was alright. I don't remember the song. You guys have good stage presence though, I'll give you that.” Dongyoung said.

“Who's your favorite member?” Jaehyun asked, and Dongyoung smirked.

“Hmm,” Dongyoung feigned thought and put his index finger on his chin. “Winwin.”

“Why?” Dongyoung could tell there was some jealously hidden underneath the flatness of the response.

“He doesn't talk as much as you. I haven't seen him talk at all.”

“If I talked less would you like me more?” Yoonoh asked.

“I’d consider it.” Dongyoung said, and Yoonoh nodded.

Yoonoh stays quiet for the rest of the walk to the studio. Dongyoung noticed that it was a quiet day outside, fortunately for him. Dongyoung suspected that everyone was in class. It may have also been the fact that they were at the very northern corner of the campus where no one ever hung out. After a long and surprisingly not very awkward walk, the pair reached their destination.

“This is your station? It's kind of shitty.” Yoonoh said, looking at the wires and dust particles floating around through the glass.

“I said we found a station. I didn't say it was a nice one.”

“When's your first broadcast?” Yoonoh asked.

“In two days.” Dongyoung said, and Yoonoh let out a low whistle.

“I guess we have a lot of work to do.” Yoonoh said, entering the station. “Hey guys!” He greeted the three people on their phones. “I'm here to help out for your broadcast on Friday.”

For the next two days, Dongyoung, Eun, Mark, Donghyuck, and Yoonoh were busy making preparations for the broadcast. Yoonoh taught the newfound hosts how to be interesting and how to work the soundboard. Donghyuck was in charge of choosing the sounds and working it while Eun and Mark would be in charge of hosting. Mark and Eun busied themselves by asking around campus about Doyoung, finding out any rumours or fans questions so they would have things to ask him during the interview. The day before the broadcast, Yoonoh had brought JOAT’s producer, Taeil, over to help produce a song. Taeil had the song saved for JOAT, but since it was an emergency, he gave it to Dongyoung. It was another generic pop song like JOAT had sang at their concert, but Dongyoung didn't really care. He was sure this would be the first and last time he’d be singing it. 

By the time Friday rolled around, almost everything was complete. All the wires in the station were put together and the dust was cleaned up with the trash. Eun and Mark had made a script and Donghyuck had almost completely customized his soundboard. Dongyoung’s song was ready, albeit a little rough around the edges, but unless someone gave it a good listen then no one would notice. Dongyoung was certain his song would flop, so he was confident that people will only listen to it once. The group, including Yoonoh, decided to skip class for the day. The show was their priority.

“Are we ready for our first broadcast?” Eun asked. They had spent the morning and the afternoon practicing diction and soundboard cues.

“No.” Mark said.

“Eh,” Donghyuck replied. “I guess.”

“That's good enough for me.” 

“How many people do you think are waiting for this broadcast?” Donghyuck asked.

“Dongyoung was pretty popular last week at the concert, I'm sure a lot of people are waiting to see what his song will sound like.” Yoonoh said.

“It sounds like a JOAT song.” Mark said.

“All the more reason for it to be popular.” Yoonoh said, grinning.

“I don't want it to be popular,” Dongyoung started. “I want this to be a one time thing and then we’ll be done. We can go back to studying or whatever. I don't remember the last time I was so busy, running around everywhere like a chicken with its head cut off.”

“Wow, that was a really interesting monologue.” Eun said. “But it’s almost time for the broadcast to start. So, sit down, look- sound pretty, and go over our lines for the interview.” Dongyoung did as he was told and sat for the few minutes while the other three were preparing for the broadcast. 

“We're on in three… two…” Donghyuck said silently.

“Greetings everyone and welcome to NCT Station with Koeun!”

“Haechan!”

“And Mark!”

“We have a really good line up for you guys today. I know you've all been anticipating Doyoung’s first official song and, of course, we have that for you later. But first we just have a few segments to do. We don't know how the formula will go for the show in the long run so feel free to tell us what to iron out in the ask Doyoung tag!” Eun mentally took a deep breath. They went through their different segments which included Eun and Mark’s school segments, Donghyuck’s gag segment, Mark and Eun’s debate segment, and the idol gossip segments. 

“Now, we know you guys are all waiting for Doyoung’s song to be aired but we want to properly introduce your new favorite idol, so let's start the interview!” Mark said, before turning to Dongyoung. “Alright, Doyoung, introduce yourself.”

“Hello, I'm NCT Radio’s first idol Doyoung. I'm currently 21 in my second year of university.”

“Why did you decide to become an idol?” Eun asked.

“Through a- misunderstanding.”

“Who's your favorite idol?”

“Jaehyun of JOAT.” Dongyoung hated this script. 

“Are you a fan of JOAT.”

“I wouldn't necessarily call myself a fan. I like their music, but who doesn't?”

“What are your plans as an idol?”

“I just want people to enjoy my music. These days there's a lot of fast paced pop music. I want my music to be something that can help you focus. I want people to listen to my music while they're studying and relax. I think that’ll be my goal as an idol.”

“Is there anyone that you would like to work with?”

“I think doing a duet with Cha Eunwoo would be fun.”

“Now onto the fan submitted questions!”

“Doyoungluv asks: ‘what's Doyoung’s ideal type.” Mark said.

“Someone who's caring, kind, and just a little shorter than me.” Dongyoung cringed at the amount of heterosexuality that was in the sentence.

“Yoooota,” Mark dragged out the Os. “Asked: ‘when are you gonna pay me back my six dollars?”

“Never.”

“And our last question, jefferyjae asks ‘do you have a crush on anyone?’ I think that's one worth answering.”

“Not at the moment.”

“Well, that's all for our broadcast today. Now it’s time for what you've all been waiting for! Here is Doyoung’s first single, ‘First Time’! We hope you guys we’ll enjoy it. This has been Koeun.”

“Haechan”

“And Mark.”

Usually a radio show would say “We’ll see you next time” but they weren't sure if there would be a next time so they let the song play out.

“I don't know about you guys, but I think that went really well.” Mark said, taking off his headset.

“Why did you guys put all those questions about Jaehyun in the script.” Dongyoung asked.

“You guys have good chemistry, it's profitable.” Eun replied. “You can't blame us for using business tactics.”

Dongyoung rolled his eyes. “Well, it was fun being an almost popular idol for a week. Now we can go back to sitting at lunch and complaining about stuff.”

“I don't know about ‘almost popular’.” Donghyuck started. “I'm looking through the Doyoung tag on Twitter and you seem to have a lot of fans already.”

minion fans intl @diamondeunice  
wtf first time is so good I think ill stan doyoung…

I hate my job @bbysoul  
why didnt nct radio mention their soundcloud i wanna listen to first time again

jongin @ninileakes  
@pressurnumbers are we stanning doyoung?  
|  
nose @pressurnumbers  
replying to @ninleakes  
yes we are

unemployed @sowoneul  
im really about to stan doyoung after this one song…  
|  
Whitney Yuston @yujuice  
replying to @sowoneul  
doyoung is mine…  
|  
ummmmmmm @yumji  
replying to @sowoneul and @yujuice  
to you

“I think a lot of people are expecting a SoundCloud link and another radio broadcast. What do you think, Doyoung? It's up to you.” Eun made it seem like she was giving Dongyoung an open option, but she wasn't. Dongyoung could tell by the way she used his stage name instead of his given name.

“I'm not becoming an idol.” Dongyoung said firmly.

“You know,” Donghyuck began. “You still owe me a favor. One for the challenge and one for getting us inside the festival last Friday.”

“First of all, I didn't want to go to the festival and secondly the whole reason I'm in this position is because of the fact you snuck us into the festival!”

“Rules are rules!” Donghyuck grinned. “So just do one more broadcast and let's just see how everything goes.”

“This is more for your benefit than mine, isn't it?”

Donghyuck shrugged. “I may have some merchandise ideas in mind.” 

The realization that there was no use in arguing with Donghyuck dawned on Dongyoung again. “Fine,” Dongyoung sighed. “One more broadcast next week and I'm done for good.”

❂

One extra broadcast turned into another extra broadcast. Soon enough, NCT radio was on its twenty first broadcast and had changed the schedule to have one broadcast every Monday and Friday; Tuesday and Thursday slots were taken up by Seolhyun, Chanmi and their host, Yuna, who needed a new station after there's had become infested with rats. Wednesday’s were the days where the two stations would broadcast together. Dongyoung had officially been an idol for two months at this point and he still felt indifferent about everything. Dongyoung found it weird to have fans, and he found it more weird that people would write smuts about him (his partner would usually be Yoonoh). The only thing Dongyoung really liked about the new idol thing is the pay that the merchandise brings in. 

“Dojae is trending on Twitter.” Donghyuck said. The group was now sitting down at their usual lunch table with the addition of their three new friends. 

“When isn't it?” Chanmi asked. “You guys are one of the most shipped idols on campus. You two should date or something.”

“Not everyone knows I'm gay.” Dongyoung said defensively. 

“It won't matter. Everyone wants to see you guys together. Just kiss him or something. Give the fans material. You'll get more traffic on your radio show.” Chanmi said, and Seolhyun nodded in agreement. 

“You're just like Donghyuck, only doing things because they benefit you in the end.” Dongyoung said, and Chanmi laughed.

“Hey, it's not like you won't benefit from it too. You'll be out of the closet, you'll have a boyfriend, your sales will increase, and then you'll be the campus’ favorite solo artist. Cha Eunwoo is sort of a wall right now, but with the help of JOAT and Jaehyun you can vault right over it.” 

“How do you know everything will go so well?” Dongyoung asked.

“It's obvious he has a crush on you.” Seolhyun said. “It's not like he keeps it secret. Why do you think people ship you two so much? It's because he gives them the material. He's always talking about you, you know. He's in my dance class and he never shuts up about you. Stuff like that spreads quickly.”

“I'm just trying to eat my lunch and you guys are forcing me out of the closet.” Dongyoung grumbled. “And I barely even know the guy! We've only known each other for three months!”

“Ask for his number.” Mark suggested. “Text him. Get to know him.”

“You're in on this too, Mark? I thought you'd be on my side!”

Mark raised his hands up in defense. “Listen, this is the most money I've made in awhile. I just want to make a little extra and this is the step.”

“Traitor.” Dongyoung huffed. 

“So it's settled!” Donghyuck clapped his hands. “You two have music composition class soon. You're going to ask for his number and you'll get to know each other while also getting me Taeyong’s autograph.”

“What if I don't even like Jaehyun.” Dongyoung asked.

“You like him, don't lie. I haven't seen you so awkward with anyone, so I think I’m safe to assume it's because you like him.” Eun said.

“Your observation is wrong. He's just weird. That's why he makes me feel awkward.” Dongyoung stuffed a fry into his mouth and avoided his friends gazes. 

“I'm sure that's definitely the reason why.” Eun replied, smirking. “Now shoo, you're gonna be late for your next class with him. If you don't ask for his number, I swear we’ll make a whole segment dedicated to Dojae fanart, fan edits and fanfiction!” Class didn't start for another twenty-five minutes, but from the look on Dongyoung’s face, Eun knew Dongyoung would comply.

Dongyoung tried to pretend like he didn't hear Eun and dragged himself to his music composition class. Luckily for him, his popularity didn't reach the stage to where people would scream as he walked down the hallway. Though there were a few people that would ask for his autograph on one of their Doyoung notebooks or Doyoung pins. Dongyoung minds, a lot, but since he's now an official school idol he needs to comply and put on a fake smile. The more sales the better; he couldn't say he didn't enjoy the income that came with his new popularity. He had ranked four in soloist popularity this month so he was already making a lot of money from merchandise and advertisements on their radio show. Dongyoung didn't even know people advertised on school radios until three weeks ago. 

When he entered the classroom, Yoonoh was already there. Usually, someone would have already taken a seat next to the boy but some upcoming idol was holding a mini-concert, so the classroom was mostly deserted. Digesting all the butterflies in his stomach, Dongyoung went and sat next to Yoonoh. Yoonoh turned and looked at Dongyoung, and the surprise on Yoonoh’s face was slowly overtaken by a smile. Yoonoh was glad Dongyoung had opted to sit next to him rather than all the way across the classroom.

“Hi, didn't think you would-”

“Give me your number.” Dongyoung demanded.

“What?”

Dongyoung sighed in annoyance. “You said it yourself, we’re friends. We've known each other for three or four months and we still don't have each other's phone numbers. Give it to me.”

“Whatever you say.” Yoonoh replied, pulling out his phone. “Don't go selling it to crazy fans or something.”

“Now that you’ve given me the idea,” Dongyoung said, taking out his phone. “I think I just might.”

“You've said we've known each other for three or four months, yet you still don't address me by my real name.”

“I thought your birth name was Jaehyun. It would feel weird to call you Yoonoh this far into the friendship.” Dongyoung said.

“If you don't call me Yoonoh I won't give you my number.” Jaehyun said, holding his cellphone just out of Dongyoung’s reach.

“Ugh, fine. Yoonoh.” Dongyoung said quickly, reaching for Yoonoh’s phone. Yoonoh let Dongyoung grab hold of his phone and enter his number.

“How are you gonna put my number in yours?”

“I'll just text myself, dumbass.”

Yoonoh nodded. “Are you gonna compete in next month’s festival?”

“I think the one that accidentally threw me into idol status was enough.” Dongyoung said, before handing Yoonoh his phone back.

“We should do a duet.” Yoonoh said, scooting closer to Dongyoung. Dongyoung not so subtly slid farther away in his seat.

“My fans would be mad if my first collaboration wasn't with Cha Eunwoo.” Dongyoung shot back.

“Your fans seem to like me.” Yoonoh said, and Dongyoung rolled his eyes.

“That's because half of my fans are your fans.”

Yoonoh shrugged. “That's not that bad, we have shared income.” 

“You make it seem like we're a married couple.” Dongyoung said, and regrets it immediately.

“I wouldn't mind that.” Yoonoh said, smirking, and Dongyoung felt his cheeks heat up.

“Weirdo.”

“Have you seen Dojae trending on Twitter?” Yoonoh asked. “It's pretty popular right now.”

Dongyoung nodded. “I wish I hadn't. My friends are the ones at fault for popularizing that.”

“Give your friends my thanks.” Yoonoh said, while casually resting his arm on the back of Dongyoung’s chair.

“How's Winwin?”

Dongyoung saw the corners of Yoonoh’s mouth move downwards ever so slightly. If Dongyoung blinked he would've missed it. “Why do you want to know?”

“Just curious. He's so reserved. Do you think that he’d want to be friends with me? You have my number, give it to him.”

“I'll think about it.” Yoonoh said, moving his arm back to his side.

“Why think about it when you can act on it?” Dongyoung asked.

“He's not the type to make friends so easily.” Yoonoh said quickly.

“Then help me break the ice.”

“I think you'd make better friends with me.” Yoonoh said instead.

“That's a bold claim.” Dongyoung said, while resting his chin over his hands.

“I was born on Valentines Day, I have good intuition when it comes to matchmaking any types of relationships. Trust me.”

Dongyoung took that into consideration. “What if our zodiacs aren't compatible? That’s a dealbreaker for me.”

Yoonoh scoffed. “You believe all of that stuff?”

“And you don't?” Dongyoung asked.

“It's all bullshit and superstition.”

Dongyoung tried to hide a smile. “Is that the Valentine's Day intuition speaking?”

Dongyoung realized this was the longest conversation he had ever had with Yoonoh and he was enjoying it. Dongyoung hadn't met many people who could meet his snark. At first it was awkward, but now it was fun going back and forth with each other. Dongyoung and Yoonoh spent the rest of the class period talking like this. Dongyoung found out a lot of things about Yoonoh, too. He lived in America for four years, he was kind of rich, and he was a decent basketball player. After class, they began to text throughout the rest of the day. They mostly shared childhood memories and embarrassing moments from when they were teenagers. During the night, they talked about their favorite things to do and their favorite colors, all the personal stuff. Dongyoung was enjoying texting him, he even thought about thanking Eun for forcing him to exchange numbers. 

❂

“Did you guys enjoy that new song? We basically had to beg Doyoung to collaborate with Jaehyun so I hope you guys enjoyed that!” Eun announced. Donghyuck added a laughing effect for the hell of it.

“Now, we came up with this idea a few weeks ago and yes, we should've asked Doyoung if we could do it, but we didn't.” Mark started. “We wanted to introduce a new segment just for you Dojae shippers! We see you guys in bunches and have decided to exploit you all!” Donghyuck added some random fart sound effect and a baby crying, and ended the cacophony of noise with an auto tuned goat laughing.

“Feel free to send in your Dojae things using hashtag DojaeCorner. Send in anything Dojae! Want us to read your smutty fanfictions out loud on broadcast? Send those in! Want us to pin your edits outside of our studio? Send those in! Got any fanart you want to share? Send those in! If you send in ten submissions you get a free Dojae t-shirt courtesy of NCT and Ace Radio!”

That radio broadcast started a wildfire. It soon became the most popular segment on the station and Dojae shippers alike started to multiply like rabbits. Dongyoung didn't really mind; he knew his crush on Yoonoh was obvious by now. They both danced around it, though. It was painfully apparent that the two had mutual feelings for each other, but neither knew how to approach them. It was a never ending game of beating around the bush or seeing how far across the line of “friends” one of the two could cross without it becoming awkward. All this Dojae nonsense added even more strain to their already tense relationship. He wasn't even sure if Yoonoh would act on his feelings since Dongyoung still wasn't completely out of the closet. Though he hoped teasing each other could give Yoonoh a hint that he wasn't as straight as Yoonoh makes him out to be.

“Dojae is getting popular.” It had been a few weeks after the broadcast and the two were having lunch together. Yoonoh was buying, so Dongyoung couldn't say no. “How do you feel about it?”

Dongyoung shruged. “It's given our broadcast a huge boost in ratings. Ace Radio has gotten more popular because of it, too.”

Yoonoh shook his head. “That wasn't what I was asking. I was asking how do you feel about it?”

“How do I feel about it?” Dongyoung looked up to the ceiling and hoped there would be an answer written on the beams above them. “It's- hmm, it's cute I guess. Although the sex fanficitions are a little too weird.”

“You've read some of them?”

“When a story is tagged with tentacles and bukkake I can't help but be intrigued.”

Yoonoh laughed. “I can't argue with that one.”

“How do you feel about it?” Dongyoung shot back. “I'm sure it's not the first time something like this has happened to you.”

Yoonoh rested his face in his hand, and stared at Dongyoung for a moment before answering. “I've enjoyed it this time more than the other times.”

“And why is that?” Dongyoung asked, already knowing the answer.

“You know why.” Dongyoung felt the air turn tense. There was always a moment like this between the two. They would be driving along a paved road that was smooth and without any obstacles in the road, then BAM! The driver, whether it be Dongyoung or Yoonoh, would take a hard unexpected right onto the unbeaten path. Dongyoung would just play dumb and hope that Yoonoh would find their way back to their original destination. Yoonoh would just skip over the subject when Dongyoung decided to be the adventurous one. 

“I don't.” Dongyoung lied.

Yoonoh groaned. “You always do this! I don't know if you're straight or not but we both like each other. I don't know why we beat around the bush so much. Yes, we’re school idols or whatever but there's a whole fandom dedicated to fantasizing about a romantic relationship between us. We could be together, you're the one who's always backing out. If you're in the closet or something, you can just come out. I know that's insensitive because of other factors outside of the university but no one cares here. Half the people that attend this school are gay.”

This was the first time Yoonoh had jumped into the bush. Dongyoung wasn't sure how to react. Was this an indirect proposal to ask him out? Should he just answer with yes? Should he just keep playing dumb or pretend like he didn't hear that whole speech? Dongyoung really wasn't sure how to answer the question. Instead, he answered with another question. “So what do you want to do then?”

Yoonoh gently tilts Dongyoung’s face so they’re looking at each other properly. “Go out with me.” Dongyoung could slide a butter knife through the tension in the air, and cut himself off a piece. “We've known each other for half a year and we've been flirting for most of that time. I know people that have dated while only knowing each other for two months. We don't have to tell anyone either.”

Dongyoung waits a moment to respond, and when he does, Yoonoh’s face lights up. “Okay.”

❂

The past seven months went by in a blur. Dongyoung’s second year of University comes to a close as summer time begins. Dongyoung couldn't believe how much he had done since September. He went from detesting all idols and idol life to becoming one of the most popular soloists in the entire school. Yoonoh and Dongyoung had been keeping their relationship secret, only telling the people associated with Sunshine FM, NCT Radio and Ace Radio. Dongyoung would never admit this out loud, but this was the most fun he had at the university since he had entered last year. Dongyoung and Yoonoh also got to deepen their relationship over the summer and spent every day texting or face timing, doing anything to stay in contact with each other.

“Let's do a duet next week, at the opening festival.” Yoonoh suggested. It was now August, and he was in Dongyoung’s room laying down on his couch, stroking Dongyoung’s hair, who was sitting on the floor looking through a textbook. “It'll be fun. Everyone wants to see us do a duet together. I'll give you a kiss as a reward if you do it.”

“We both know you’ll give me a kiss either way.” Dongyoung said, but didn’t say no. Dongyoung knew how beneficial doing a duet with Yoonoh would be for both of them right now. Merchandise sales would boost, and so would Dongyoung’s popularity. Dongyoung would never admit it, but he also just really loved singing with his boyfriend. “What song would we sing? We only have one, and I'm sure people are getting tired of hearing it.”

“We’ll just make a new one, just for the festival. We can theme it after our secret relationship. Get the fans hyped about something.”

“The Dojae hype is kind of dead; people are starting to ship your Host and Cha Eunwoo more than us now.” Dongyoung said.

“We’ll bring the hype back around!” Yoonoh starts. “Give them material to work off of. If we make out on stage I’m sure that would draw everyone back into the Dojae train.”

Dongyoung rolled his eyes. “If we make out on stage I’m sure we’d both get kicked out for voyeurism. I don't know about you, but I really want to graduate from this university next year.”

“Then we’ll just have to makeout here.” Yoonoh said, wagging his eyebrows suggestively. 

Dongyoung smiled softly. “But Mark is going to be back soon.”

“I said make out, not have a quickie. If we hear the door unlock we can stop just as fast as we started.” Yoonoh promised. 

“And leave each other with blue balls?”

“We’ll continue it at my dorm.” Yoonoh sighed, sliding his hand down Dongyoung’s face, and tilting Dongyoung’s chin towards him.

“What if Taeyong is there?” Dongyoung asked.

“He can watch.”

“Okay,” Dongyoung said, closing his textbook. “We can make out for ten minutes but that's it. I have to look through this textbook so I can get ahead in class.” 

The opening festival rolled around faster than Dongyoung expected. Dongyoung had asked Taeil to produce another duet that they could sing with the underlying theme of a secret relationship. The song turned out to be half a ballad and half a pop song, and Dongyoung really wasn't sure how to feel about it, but considering he hadn’t released any new songs since the end of last semester, he knew the fans would love it. Dongyoung soon found himself at the end of the narrow waiting room under the theatre once again, waiting for everyone to sing their pieces so he could move up one seat. 

“How long has it been since you've been in here?” Yoonoh asked, holding his hand.

“Since Mark, Donghyuck, Eun and I snuck in and they accidentally turned me into a school idol.”

“Do you regret it?” Yoonoh asked.

“At first, yes. Now? Not really. Being an idol is pretty fun. Though I'm sure I wouldn't think that if I had been popular in an instant.” Dongyoung answeres honestly. 

“Even if your music was bad you would be popular. You are associated with me, after all.” Yoonoh said with a smirk.

Dongyoung rolled his eyes. “Don’t give yourself too much credit.”

Yoonoh grinned. “You know it's true.”

“If you say so. But know I would've been popular even without your association. I'm a likable and charming person.” Dongyoung said with a smile, and Yoonoh snorted.

“If you keep saying that out loud I'm sure someone will be convinced.”

The couple continued chatting up a storm while everyone made their way up onto the stage. Dongyoung liked talking to Yoonoh. He always had something interesting to say and he always made Dongyoung laugh. Whenever Dongyoung was with Yoonoh, he was able to drown out the background noise. He couldn't hear the applause of the crowd that traveled from the theatre down into the waiting room and he couldn't hear the chatter of the remaining idols that were sitting around them. He always felt like he was in his own world when he was talking to Yoonoh. That's one thing Dongyoung really liked about him. 

“Hey.” Yoonoh jabbed at Dongyoung’s side. “Stop spacing out. It's almost our turn to go up. I hope you didn't forget any lyrics.”

“Worry about yourself, you didn't do any warm ups.” Dongyoung said, while straightening in his seat.

“You didn't either.” Yoonoh pointed out.

“I'm a naturally good singer, I don't need to do any vocal warm ups. You on the other hand...”

The two heard the applause for the 99th idol. Dongyoung rushed up the stairs so Yoonoh couldn't retaliate. Dongyoung knew where the stage was, so this time Security didn't need to lead him there. The first time he had sung on this stage by himself, he had been scared to death. This time, with Yoonoh next to him, he felt like he could take on the world. Dongyoung adjusted the microphone stand to his height and watched Yoonoh do the same. 

“Hello everyone!” Yoonoh greeted and the crowd responded with cheers. “I am here today with Doyoung and we know you've all been wanting us to do a duet together live so here we are!”

“Jaehyun and I have a song that has been made for this festival especially, and there's a secret meaning behind it. We hope you guys can catch on, and I hope you guys will enjoy the song as well.”

Dongyoung waited for the music to play and the two began to sing their “pop ballad”. The crowd was cheering so loud for the two that Dongyoung couldn't even hear himself singing, but he was enjoying himself. Yoonoh started waving his hand and the crowd began to do the same as they sang along to the chorus near the end of the song. After the song was finished, the crowd was cheering even louder than before and Dongyoung even saw some people crying in the front row. Dongyoung didn't think they did that good, but he was glad that they had good reception.

“Did you guys enjoy that?” Dongyoung asked. The crowd roared in response.

“Would you guys like to know the meaning behind the song?” Yoonoh asked. “I'll show you it.” Yoonoh pulled his boyfriend to him and planted a kiss right on Dongyoung’s lips.

**Author's Note:**

> yea i left it on a lame cliffhanger but there will be more to come so i hoped u enjoyed this introduction to the series


End file.
